Type 2 newbie

[Tinkerbellwater]

Good evening,
I am a new diagnosed type 2 and feel like I am lost. No idea what I am doing or how to get a plan.
thank you x

 

[Christy]

Hi @Tinkerbellwater and welcome! I guess a fair few of us felt like you at diagnosis, myself included. Stunned & left up the creek without a paddle! Do you know what your Hba1c is? Loads of good advice and different strategies here so I'm sure you will get some help.

 

[Tinkerbellwater]

Thank you for reply

Hi @Tinkerbellwater and welcome! I guess a fair few of us felt like you at diagnosis, myself included. Stunned & left up the creek without a paddle! Do you know what your Hba1c is? Loads of good advice and different strategies here so I'm sure you will get some help.

hi thank you for reply x it is 52. And other than that I don’t know much how to monitor what best to eat. X

 

[Christy]

Hi again @Tinkerbellwater , you're not too far over the diabetes diagnosis of 48 so perhaps moderate changes to your current lifestyle will work . What is working for me is losing weight, reducing carbs & going out for a walk each day. I bought a bg meter and take readings to see what each meal does to my blood sugar levels. I don't test as much now as I did at the beginning. Hopefully if you read a number of the newbie threads you'll pick up tips that work for you. There's loads of people with far more experience than me so please come on here and ask lots of questions.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Tinkerbellwater, welcome to the forum.

Definitely a familiar story of diagnosis then..... nothing! It can be a worrying time but you're in really good hands as the forum has a wealth of info and people are happy to share and support.

There's some really good info on our main site that's worth having a read https://www.diabetes.org.uk/type-2-diabetes.

Do let us know if you have any questions or concerns that we can help with.

 

[Drummer]

Basically you don't do well eating carbohydrates, the starches and sugars. They stay in your blood when they should not be there.
Many people get themselves a test meter which is cheap to run and then see what their levels are after eating.
By removing the higher carb foods, anything made with grain, and underground veges such as potatoes, after meal levels reduce.
Lower carb veges such as salads and things which grow above the ground give different flavours and variety without causing spikes.

 

[EllsBells]

I'm going through similar and with a much higher HbA1c. One thing I noticed over recent weeks has been my lack of portion control. Before you make drastic changes you could monitor what you actually eat at the moment in a food diary. Then start testing your blood glucose readings before and after meals (90-120mins post meal) and see what the rise is. What triggers your blood sugars will be different to someone else so you are in for a journey!

With portion control, I found that my idea of a soup portion was almost twice the amount eg I was consuming 5-600g in one go instead of 2-300g. Even though the soup was nutritious and healthy, the volume was enough to spike my blood sugars. I now use a much smaller bowl so that is no longer a problem. With dinner portions, I leave a clear inch border around the plate, unless it is a salad.

Simple adjustments can make a big difference and you are not far over the diabetes border line. Good luck - you will find your feet very quickly.

 

[grovesy]

I agree the portion size can make a difference sometimes. I found with raspberries once I had the portion right , I then use the same bowl so I don't have to weigh each time.